There’s a history of Cincinnati influence in South Bend, including Kelly, who spent three seasons with the Bearcats before taking the Notre Dame job. A year before Kelly poached Freeman, he hired Bearcats defensive backs coach Mike Mickens, a Cincinnati alum who was a teammate of Freeman’s at Wayne High School outside of Dayton.

Say Marcus Freeman does take an NFL job. Who are the first calls you make to find his replacement at Notre Dame?

Last week, at a news conference before the College Football Playoff semifinals, Penn State coach James Franklin turned to his counterpart, Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman, and asked a question. “How old are you now,